"66% of Organizations Store 21%-60% of Their Sensitive Data in The Cloud"

Security researchers 451 Research found that 45% of businesses have experienced a cloud-based data breach or failed audit in the past 12 months, up 5% from the previous year, raising even greater concerns regarding protecting sensitive data from cybercriminals.  The researchers noted that globally, cloud adoption and notably multicloud adoption remain on the rise.  In 2021, organizations worldwide were using an average amount of 110 software as a service (SaaS) applications, compared with just eight in 2015, showcasing a startlingly rapid increase.  The researchers stated that with increasing complexity of multicloud environments comes an even greater need for robust cybersecurity.  When asked what percentage of their sensitive data is stored in the cloud, 66% of participants said between 21-60%.  However, only 25% said they could fully classify all data.  Additionally, 32% of respondents admitted having to issue a breach notification to a government agency, customer, partner, or employees.  The respondents also reported an increasing prevalence of cyberattacks, with 26% citing an increase in malware, 25% in ransomware, and 19% reporting seeing an increase in phishing.  The researchers stated that these findings should be a cause for concern among enterprises with sensitive data, particularly in highly regulated industries.

Help Net Security reports: "66% of Organizations Store 21%-60% of Their Sensitive Data in The Cloud"